homeworldfandomcom-20200223-history
Homeworld 2
Homeworld 2 is the sequel to the acclaimed 1999 Game of the Year Homeworld by Relic Entertainment. Highly anticipated because that it used a new game engine and was developed by Relic instead of the disappointing Homeworld: Cataclysm's Barking Dog Studios Homeworld 2 was delayed by a year due to arguments between Relic and publisher Sierra Entertainment, only adding to fan anticipation. Unfortunately when it was released in 2003 it was only a minor success and a major disappointment for fans who complained on issues ranging from the storyline to gameplay changes from the series. Furthermore, much to fan dismay Sierra and Relic both gave a lack of support following the game's release and Relic was bought out by THQ and Sierra merged with owner VU Games. As such it is unlikely any continuation in the series will be made by anyone other than the fans. Synopsis 115 years have passed since the events of Homeworld. The year is 115 AHL (After Hiigaran Landfall) or 9625 GSY. The memories of both the Homeworld War and the folllowing Beast War have dimmed, as has the pain of their occurings. More recently the Kushan, now commonly known as the Hiigarans have seen the Dust Wars during which the nomadic Vagyr rose to power. The pain of those memories have not yet faded and the Hiigarans are not eager for war to start again. Unfortunately, war is sure to come soon and ex-'Kushan Fleet Command' Karan S'jet knows that well. However, despite her near messiah status with many of the Kushan the New Daiamid and the people of Hiigara show little interest in preparing for the inevitable war. However, as Vagyr attacks increase under their new leader, the brilliant and vicious Makaan, and the Taiidan Imperialists unite under their banner, the New Daiamid realizes the urgency of the situation and agrees to Karan's demands to construct a new mothership, powered by the mysterious Far Jumper Core. The War Begins As the new mothership, called the Pride of Hiigara is constructed secretly at Tanis in the Great Wastelands, a serach is made for a new Fleet Command. Karan quickly makes it clear that once again she will allow no one to lead the fleet but herself. Objecting but facing little choice but to comply with her demands, Karan is once again joined to the Core and becomes Fleet Command. Unfortunately, before preliminary testing for the Pride of Hiigara is complete the Vagyr discover the Hiigarans' plans and attack Tanis, destroying the shipyards there and nearly destroying the Mothership as well. Envigorated by their success they launch a full strike against the Hiigarans, taking countless systems and reaching for the Core. Meanwhile the Pride of Hiigara and her escorts flee the ruins of Tanis to Hiigara, hoping to prepare the homeworld's defenses. When they arrive they find Hiigara already under attack and have only enough time to gather the remainder of the crew needed to bring the Mothership up to its full capacities before they escape, the heroic Captain Soban covering them to ensure their escape. Shortly after their departure Makaan's full might comes into orbit of Hiigara, ruthlessly bombing it into submission. It is revealed that Makaan, who himself possesses a Far Jumper Core desires the surrender of the Pride of Hiigara's hyperspace core and he claims to be willing to allow Hiigara it's independence should they surrender the core. Fleet Intelligence realizes that the Pride of Hiigara is not prepared for a direct confrontation with Makaan and seeks the aid of the remaining portions of the Hiigaran fleet. They head for the Shipyard Nabaal, headed by Captain Elohim to resupply. On the way they enlarge their fleet, just in time to defend the shipyard which they find under attack when they arrive. Shortly after their successful battle against their Vagyr attackers their allies the Bentusi arive in their sole remaining ship, the Bentus, the rest of their ships having been destroyed by the Vagyr. They reveal to the Hiigarans that the Core they possess (the Second Core) is identical to the one that Makaan possesses (the Third Core). They also tell the Hiigarans that their core (the First Core) is also identical, revealing why the Vagyr have been hunting the Bentusi. They then reveal that the three cores are needed to unlock the secret of Sajuuk, He Whose Hand Shapes What Is. Only when all three cores are brought together will Sajuuk reveal himself and bring about the End Times, to be led by the Sajuuk-khar, the Chosen One of Sajuuk. They instruct the Hiigarans to seek out the Oracle, which will lead them on the path to Sajuuk. Then the Bentusi depart, leaving the Hiigarans with this mysterious and cryptic knowledge. The Search for the Oracle With this knowledge in hand Fleet Intelligence deducts the Oracle may be near Ghenna, where the Vagyr are conducting massive excavations. Heading for Ghenna the new Mothership Fleet stops at the outskirts of the system to disable the hyperspace inhibitors and defenses there. During their battle on the outskirts they destroy three carrier fleets, a destroyer, the hyperspace inhibitors, and a Vagyr command center. The Vagyr defenses punctured, S'jet guides the Mothership to the excavation sites. There they use the dust clouds spread throughout the region to hide their ships from Vagyr sensors, silently taking out three Vagyr patrols. In a final, surgical strike, the Hiigaran fleet assaults the main excavation site, distracting the defense fleet sufficiently to allow an assault force aboard a marine frigate to capture the Oracle and bring it aboard the Pride of Hiigara, connecting it to the Second Core. The Gatekeeper of Sajuuk The Oracle, to the surprise of the Hiigarans, takes control of the Core and forces the Pride of Hiigara to make a jump to the Karos Graveyards. Karan tries desparately to regain control of the Mothership's navigation and forces the Mothership to stop near the Oracle's destination. While Karan fights against the Oracle for control a group of AI constructs attack the Mothership Fleet. Forced to fight against the constructs Fleet Intelligence discovers they are partially resistant to most Hiigaran weapons. In attempts to discover more about the constructs, which Fleet Intelligence labels as "movers", the Hiigarans salvage a derelict mover and conduct research on its technology. With the research they discover that the movers are susceptible to anti-corvette weaponry and are able to adapt their tactics to better protect the fleet against the mysterious attackers. Shortly thereafter the Hiigarans are also able to replicate the mover technology and construct their own movers. As the fleet battles the movers, the Oracle continues to hijack the Core, forcing the Pride of Hiigara to move short jumps forward through hyperspace. At a large piece of wreckage the Oracle stops its attempted control of the Mothership and broadcasts a signal to the movers, ordering them to halt attacks on the Pride of Hiigara. After some examination Fleet Command determines that the large derelict is in fact a piece of a larger ship which broke into several pieces countless millennia before the dawn of Hiigaran civilization. The part the Mothership stopped by was the Lighthouse, what was once the forefront of the ship. In the rear, what was once the engineering portion of the ship, is the Foundry, where the Progenitor Dreadnaught, Gatekeeper of Sajuuk, necessary for unlocking Sajuuk, is located. Information from the Oracle, now under the control of Karan, guides the Pride of Hiigara to the location of the Foundry. To avoid unexpected encounters a scout is sent to investigate the Foundry. The scout's sensors, while confirming the position of the Dreadnaught also awakens the presence of a mysterious vessel, similar to the movers in design but much larger. The vessel, about a destroyer-class vessel in size, begins to broadcast on all lines of communication. Using the Oracle Fleet Intelligence is able to translate the message, which is in the ancient Progenitor language. Discovering that the intentions of the vessel, which calls itself the Keeper, appear to be hostile, the Hiigarans move quickly to recover the Dreadnaught with the movers they constructed from stolen Progenitor technology. In the meantime the main fleet is needed to distract the Keeper, which possesses not only two powerful rapid fire ion cannons, but also several small drones. In addition the Keeper can move rapidly to keep up with even the fastest ships, being able to conduct incredibely accurate short jumps through space. Though the Gatekeeper of Sajuuk is successfully salvaged and brought to the Mothership the Keeper continues its savage assault on the Mothership Fleet. Fleet Intelligence orders several probes to be deployed so that any possible weapons against the Keepers can be discovered. It is discovered that there are three massive power conductors, which appear to be missing their charges. If they can be activated, Fleet Intelligence theorizes, than the Keeper can be trapped. The Hiigarans dispatch the movers again, this time to recover the missing charges. The Keeper immediately takes chase, requiring the Fleet to again escort the movers. When the movers recover the charges and insert them into the power generators the Keeper is forced to jump into the center of the power generators, which activate, trapping the Keeper in a gravity well. Within a short span of time the gravity well begins to grow unstable in the Fleet is forced to leave the area while they still can and before the Keeper explodes along with the generators that caught it. After escaping Fleet Intelligence begins to examine the Progenitor Dreadnaught, quickly coming to the conclusion that it is compatible with Hiigaran technology, despite its obvious age and complexity. Karan also comes quickly to the conclusion that there is another dreadnaught which can unlock Sajuuk, and it is one that Makaan has already found. As always the Vagyr warlord seems to be a step ahead of the Hiigarans. Counterattack On their way out of the Karos Graveyard the Hiigarans stop due to radiation interference with their ability to navigate hyperspace. After a quick sensors check Fleet Intelligence concludes that the radiation is coming from a half-circle of debris surrounding the Pride of Hiigara's current position. Before the Hiigarans can make the jump to hyperspace again they have to clear the debris. Only Progenitor hulls seem capable of taking the radiation without shielding and so Fleet Intelligence deploys a series of movers to deal with the debris. In the meantime, as the Fleet gathers resources, a Vagyr probe emerges from the radiation. Realizing a Vagyr fleet must be nearby the Hiigarans quickly dispose of the probe. More probes continue to arrive however and it is only a short while before the Vagyr know the existence of the Hiigarans in the area. The movers continue to destroy debris and the enemy movers which protect them. As they are doing so they discover that the Vagyr carriers are actually hiding within the radiation and have employed shielding to protect their vessels, making them immune to the radiation's deadly effects on the hull. Soon after the Vagyr launch a large fleet to destroy the Pride of Hiigara, which was, according to their last known information about it and its escorts, rather defenseless. However, since the discovery of the Oracle the Mothership Fleet has expanded and become more powerful. Though repelling the Vagyr is not easy they are able to do so with reasonable casaulties and subsequently launch an attack on the Vagyr carriers, as soon as the radiation is cleared. The carriers overwhelmed by the counterattack they are unable to escape and are obliterated. The radiation cleared and the information about the Hiigarans' possession of the Gatekeeper unknown to the Vagyr, Karan recharges the Core and makes a jump to intercept a Vagyr fleet where Captain Soban and the rest of the Hiigaran fleet remnants are waiting. In the opening of the battle the two sides clash. Though the Vagyr have, until now, proven for the most part victorious in their clashes with the Hiigarans due to Makaan's cunning plans, the Vagyr are for once unprepared for the threat they face. The Dreadnaught makes quick work of the early attacks by Vagyr assault craft and bombers with its turrets and then takes out the capital ships in the first wave with one charge of its powerful phased cannon array. Unfortunately, due to the Hiigarans' lack of understanding of the technology the cannon backfires, burning out the Dreadnaught's circuitry as well as destroying the enemy ships. Dangerously exposed, its hull exposed and its engines disabled, the Gatekeeper of Sajuuk lays defenseless as the Vagyr regroup and prepare a second attempt at breaking the Hiigaran defenses. Karan makes a quick move to repair the Dreadnaught but the Fleet's repairing capacities can do only so much and the Dreadnaught is unable to join the fight as the Vagyr make their assault. The rest of the Fleet barely holds of the Vagyr horde, as wave upon wave of strike craft and capital ships besiege the Mothership. Needing an advantage Fleet Intelligence locates four hyperspace gates near the Mothership, which are hastening the Vagyr attack. Intelligence orders the destruction or otherwise neutralization of the hyperspace gates, resulting in a slow of Vagyr deployments. Shortly thereafter the Shipyard Nabaal jumps into the area as part of the coordinated attack on the Vagyr fleet. Immediately Captain Elohim offers up the shipyard's services to the Dreadnaught, having more advanced repair facilities. The Vagyr target the shipyard but Intelligence locates the carriers launching the attacks and sends Hiigaran vessels to intercept and destroy them. In the process the Hiigarans neutralize much of the Vagyr threat, and with the Dreadnaught repaired so that its secondary weapons are online, they are able to drive back the enemy fleet, the first major victory of the war. The victory does not come with a cost however and Captain Soban is captured, the rest of his strike group destroyed. Though the Hiigarans attempt to rescue Soban the enemy fleet jumps out of range before they are able to reach him. The Bentusi's Sacrifice Knowing that Soban will be tortured for whatever information he has about Hiigaran strategies or the Gatekeeper of Sajuuk the Mothership Fleet heads to intercept the Vagyr fleet that has captured him. A tracking beacon Soban brought with him has allowed Karan to guess the route of the Vagyr and the Pride of Hiigara takes pursuit. However, unexpectingly the Motheship Fleet is pulled out of hyperspace suddenly. While trying to gauge their position the Pride of Hiigara is attacked once again by the Progenitors. But this time they face not one, but two Keeper vessels, all of which are attempting to destroy the Gatekeeper if they cannot recover it. Though the Hiigaran fleet's added firepower from the Gatekeeper and their new battlecruisers are able to hold off the Keepers partially they seem to simply jump out of range if ever they are damaged significantly. Eventually the Hiigarans do enough damage to the Keepers to drive them away. Shortly thereafter, as the Mothership Fleet begins repairs the Bentusi harbor ship jumps into the area. Realizing that the Hiigarans have found the Gatekeeper of Sajuuk but are unable to use it to its full potential due to their lack of knowledge in the area of its technology the Bentusi offer to repair the Gatekeeper as well as give schematics of how to properly repair and use the phased cannon array in the future. As the Bentus begins its repairs on the Dreadnaught however, the Keepers return, this time in fours, and this time begin to attack the Bentus. Forced to defend the defenseless Bentusi Karan dispatches the fleet again, once again sacrificing lives against the seemingly invincible Keepers. Once the Gatekeeper is repaired it is able to use to the phased cannon array against the Keepers but once again the Progenitor destroyers simply leave the battlefield if they are unable to survive the present firepower. Realizing there seems to be no escape for the Hiigarans the Bentusi overload the power to their Core and warn the Hiigarans to leave. The Keepers, obsessed with destroying the Bentus do not jump away as the Hiigarans leave with the Dreadnaught and the Bentus explode, the last Bentusi sacrificing themselves so that the Hiigarans can escape with the Dreadnaught. The explosion of the Bentus breaks the First Core into three pieces, scattering them across the area. The Hiigarans know now that to fulfill the prophecy of Sajuuk they must recover the First Core and bring it aboard the Mothership. They wait for the shockwave to dissipate and than head for the wreckage. They must find the Core and fast, for they know the explosion will have caught the eye of the Vagyr as well. When they arrive they find the Bentus broken into several pieces, debris scattering a large area and radiation concentrated at the center of the wreckage. With newly constructed defense field frigates the Hiigarans begin collection of the Core. Shortly thereafter the Vagyr arrive and begin their own collection of the Core, an entire carrier fleet escorted by several destroyers. It becomes a race for the Core fragments. Both fleets intend to gather all three fragments and if necessary, destroy the enemy fleet to recover any fragments the other fleet has taken. The Vagyr quickly deploy their own resource collectors to recover the fragments. Karan sends ships to intercept them. The Vagyr similarly intercept the Hiigaran collectors. However, the Vagyr are not counting on a fully capable Dreadnaught and the Gatekeeper of Sajuuk displays its power when it vanquishes much of the Vagyr fleet. It is not long before the Hiigarans recover all three fragments and destroy the Vagyr presence in the area. The fragments recovered repair crews reconstruct the First Core and bring it aboard the Mothership. Their job here finished Karan brings the Mothership Fleet to intercept Soban's captors at last. From Soban's beacon they have determined he has been taken to the heart of Vagyr territory, at the command base in Thaddis Sabbah. The Battle of Thaddis Sabbah For the first time since Hiigara's capture the majority of both the Hiigaran and Vagyr fleets clash as Makaan himself commands the field, sending his fleet to intercept and destroy the Pride of Hiigara. Unfortunately for him he does not realize that the Hiigarans have recovered full power of the Gatekeeper's phased cannon array and they are able to hold the line against the Vagyr assault, if only just barely. Debris clutters in front of the Mothership's defenses and the Vagyr assault gradually slows as both sides inflict heavy casaulties on the other. Eventually the Vagyr stop assaulting in large numbers and Fleet Intelligence, realizing the time has come, orders the Mothership Fleet to engage the enemy shipyards some distance away and destroy the fleet's supplying capabilities. The shipyards and carriers in the area are easily overwhelmed, not possessing the firepower to resist the Hiigarans. It is not long after that Fleet Intelligence realizes that Makaan is in the area and orders the fleet to destroy him next. Makaan merely taunts the Hiigarans and leaves, indicating that the final battle is yet to come. The rest of the Vagyr either destroyed or routed the Hiigarans assault the command base and use a marine frigate to evacuate Captain Soban. He is given a new ship and joins the Mothership Fleet, now having new information from his time in Thaddis Sabbah about Makaan's destination. Sajuuk Makaan it seems is headed for Balcora Gate, a massive hyperspace gate that is located nearby the gravitational field of Balcora, the black hole at the center of the galaxy. Sajuuk, Soban says, is located within Balcora's gravitational field and only an extremely powerful hyperdrive such as that powering Balcora Gate can successfully transport a ship across such a heavy gravwell, which would normally pull a ship right out of hyperspace. A Progenitor Dreadnaught it seems is needed to unlock Balcora Gate, and Balcora Gate is the only way to reach Sajuuk. The puzzle at last begins to come together. Realizing that Makaan must not be allowed to recover Sajuuk Karan leads the Pride of Hiigara in sharp pursuit and only just miss Makaan as he departs through the Gate, leaving the Hiigarans behind as well as some of his fleet. Ordered to close Balcora so that the Hiigarans cannot follow the remaining Vagyr begin to destroy the Gate. The Hiigarans quickly leap to action, defending the gate against the Vagyr assault. Possessing more firepower than the Vagyr can hope to withstand the Hiigarans are able to successfully take the Gate and using the Gatekeeper of Sajuuk unlock its power, using it to jump towards Balcora for the final showdown between the Fleet and Makaan. When the Hiigarans arrive they find that Makaan seems to have already found Sajuuk which turns out to be a ship, rather than a god or supernatural being. His ships have already begun to recover it and he has set a trap for the Hiigarans, awaiting their arrival so that he can finally collect all three Far Jumper Cores and unlock Sajuuk's power, making him the most powerful being in the galaxy. Worst yet, without the power of all three neither fleet can escape the grasp of Balcora's gravwell. It will be the final confrontation between Makaan and Karan, one way or another. Makaan's attempts to destroy the Pride of Hiigara turn out to be fairly unsuccessful however, as the Hiigarans hold off attack after attack. After defending against the Vagyr Karan assembles the fleet and moves it towards Makaan's flagship. To hold off the Hiigarans Makaan sends a fleet of battleships and his own dreadnaught. However, the Hiigarans are more than ready for the attack and plows through Makaan's defenses, assaulting the flagship itself. In one final battle Makaan is finally defeated, his flagship's hull rupturing, his life support failing. In his final breaths he taunts the Hiigarans, telling them that while they may have won Sajuuk, they will not win the war. Darkness gathers over Hiigara while the Mothership Fleet battles Makaan. Then, his flagship explodes and Makaan's reign of terror over the Vagyr ends. Their enemy defeated and the Third Core in their grasp the Hiigarans reactivate the Sajuuk, ejecting the hyperspace cores from the Mothership and docking them with the Sajuuk. Karan S'jet connects herself to the ancient ship, still Fleet Command, but no longer over the Pride of Hiigara, now no more than a ghost ship, abandoned as it cannot leave the graveyard of Balcora. The Siege of Hiigara Charging the hyperdrive, now powered by three Far Jumpers, Karan leaps the fleet all the way from Balcora to the besieged world of Hiigara. Fleet Intelligence formulates a plan for liberating the homeworld from its attackers, hoping that the Sajuuk and the Gatekeeper's combined power can destroy the Vagyr. When they arrive at Hiigara they discover the Vagyr fleet still in control of the homeworld, and the defense fleet all but destroyed. Leaping to the defense of their world the Hiigarans plow through Vagyr forces and the battle seems near won. Just as the advantage turns in favor of the Hiigarans however a fleet of three mysterious ships, each enormous and shaped like a starfish, jumps into the area. Almost immediately they begin bombarding the surface of Hiigara with weapons of mass destruction, causing the deaths of millions. Fleet Intelligence immediately orders Hiigaran forces to attack the planetkillers. Efforts to destroy them appear futile however. Standard weaponry doesn't seem to work at all against them and even the Gatekeeper of Sajuuk's phased cannon array seems useless. Thinking quickly Fleet Intelligence guesses that the Sajuuk's weaponry may be able to breach the armor of the mysterious vessels. The gamble pays off and the Sajuuk plows the planetkillers with ease, only briefly held back by the attacks of Vagyr escorts. Using its incredibely accurate hyperspace navigation systems it short jumps from each ship to the next, giving it the speed to knock out both planetkillers fast enough to prevent a genocide similar to the Kharakian Genocide witnessed more than a century earlier. When the last of the planetkillers are destroyed the Vagyr retreat and Hiigara is saved. The Vagyr fleeing and Makaan gone, the threat to peace is over. It's purpose no longer directed towards war the Sajuuk unlocks an ancient network of hyperspace gates, each as powerful as a Far Jumper Core. The new network, called the Eye of Arran revolutionizes hyperspace navigation and trade within the galaxy, ushering in a new era of peace and scientific enlightenment. Karan S'jet, now seen as much as a goddess as she is a leader is proclaimed the Sajuuk-khar, the Chosen One of Sajuuk. The End Times are over, the Age of S'jet has begun. Design Team *Original Concept - Alex Garden *Lead Game Designer - Joshua Mosqueira *Homeworld 2 Design Team - Andrew Chambers, Damon Gauthier, Erin Daly, Morgan Jaffit *Lead Programmer - Stephane Morichère-Matte, Luke Moloney *Homeworld 2 Programming Team - Cei Gladstone, Cedric Lee, David Swinerd, Kris Botha, Nick Waanders, Randy Lukashuk, Remy Saville, Shane Alfreds, Shelby Hubick, Thierry Tremblay *Art Director - Rob Cunningham *Lead Artist - David T. Cheong *Homeworld 2 Artists - Allan Dilks, Arthur Shimizu, Darwin Yuen, Mashi Akiyama, Nick Carota, Richard Marchand, Roland Longpre *Original Story - Andrew Chambers, Joshua Mosqueira, Paul Ruskay, Rob Cunningham *Script Written - Joshua Mosqueira, Mary DeMarle, Rob Cunningham *Additional Design Support - Bart Mazus, Jay Wilson, Jeffrey Nicholas Brown, Tyler Higgs *Programming Support - Jonathan Skinner *Animatic Support - Aaron Kambeitz *Chief Executive Officer - Alex Garden *Chief Financial Officer - Curtis Terry *Chief Operating Officer - Ron Moravek *Controller - Carol Richards *IT Manager - Frank Roberts *Human Resources - Paula Fellbaum *Sound Design - Studio X Labs, Paul Ruskay *Speech Editing - Greg Sabitz, Rob Plotnikoff Sources *Homeworld 2 *Homeworld 2 Manual *Homeworld Shipyards (HW2 Backstory) *Game Credits for Homeworld 2 Category: Games